The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-21
THE DRAMATIC SIDE OF ART
An Interesting Talk by a Well-Known
Artist About Great Paintings.
Work of Gerome, the Great Exponent of ORA
matte Painting-Kaubach's Picture of
the Blind Priest and Its Effect

Mr. James F. Gookins gave an interesting talk
yesterday afternoon at the art exhibit in Ma
sonic Hall, on 1.-THE Dramatic Side of Art
1.-The dramatic side of art" he said lis as inter
esting as all the other sides together. In all
dramatic pictures the thought must be forcible
and direct They must catch the eye and fix
the attention nt once and appeal not only to the
heart but to the intelligence. The art of the
dramatic paint er is reflective rather than emo
tional. Other art pictures may appeal to the
feelings, to sentiment in quiet way, but
picture to be truly dramatic should have con-
nection with som 9 event in history. suppose
the greatest living exponent of this kind of COM
position is John Leon Gerome the president of
the French Acada my, who has, perhaps. not had
q superior, with bu one exception, artists having
ever considered Eubens's Descent from the
Cross the greatest which. in feeling and
technical excellence stands alone as does the
mighty event it depicts. 1t is the event of all
human history, maxim more direct appeal to
all mankind than any other event, and Rubens,
when he painted it, was inspired by that event,
If man ever inspired. Gerome was incapa-
BILE Of this inspiration as Rnbens had it. When
he went to Arabia to Mt. Sinai. to get lnspira-
ton for great painting he failed to get the feel
ing he desired, but in painting his Golgotha he
struck note that showed his sympathy with
humanity, though in no such way as Rubens
achieved that sublime sentiment. Were even
barbarian to stand before the painting of Ru-
bens he would be impressed and bowed down
by it. In The Gladators' Gerome's feelings
more touched than by the pictures of
Christ In The Gladiators a magnifcently
formed young man, wounded. lies at the feet
of an older man with trained and hardened
muscles and stretches out his arm for the sign
Of release from the popuace. In al. that multi
tude not one is found to give that sign. The
youthful figure should have moved their sympa-
thies, but nothing Nriches them 1t is vivid
portrayal of the cruelty that reigned in the
hearts of those people as with reversed thumbs
police verso-they give the sign of death. A
fine touch Of the artist to show the thirst for
blood and the cruel impassiveness suggests to
him to present the Emperor eating a fig. At the
moment he stops with the fig in his
hand and turns his head inqulringly
toward the populace. He would spare the
youths life, is indeed partly moved with pity.
as he looks upon him in his beautiful young
manhood under the foot of the experienced
Ii,
him; he will do just as the peaple desire To
him personally it is as small a matter as eating
fg. The painter who can tn ink out SO profound
ly what would take place in the minds of a lux
nrious and cruel people, and portray their char
acteristics so wildly is man capable of recog
nizing what is truly dramatic in art. But
Gerome did not always do sn He made many
experiments before he arrived at the knowledge
# . his studio o Paul 5aee first
when Dearoche went to- Italy Gerome,
was recommended to Germs,n painter. but he
chose to follow Delaroche. When Gerome came
back he went into the studio of Paul Glyer. to
soon find that Glyer could te ach him nothing.
Gerome's Christian Martyrs is supposed to be
absolutely correct as to detaih and no ever
studied detail more closely than he His pct-
ures are rarely pleasant except from an intel
lectual point Of view. he is severe in drawing,
and there is simplicity in his color. He has been
called the anatomist of art, using his brush as
the surgeon uses his scalpel.
a great many artists throughout the world
think it doesn't make any difference what one
paints so ne paint 1t well, whether 1t be cab
bage a. horse, a lovely face or saint. Gerome
certainly does not believe that, and therefore is
not so highly thought of by some many who
simply produce emotions Of the moment Such
persons believe the very highest possible prod
net III art is simply the reproduction, as simply
and rapidly as possible of the idea that comes
out, they do not desire to search
history, they care nothing for lati-
tude longitude; they will find as
much beauty in fence-corner as though they
has. arrived at point none of these men will
reach because of his perception of the fact that
there lie power on earth greater than the dra-
matic power to impress men. The painter labors
under greater difficulty to express his thought
than does the orator or the writer. Whenever a
picture is really strong in dramatic thought it
will live it's Interpretation to anyone. Henri
Regina ults picture of the Arab Executioner' is
CHASTITY example of this fact The cruelty
that is shown in that picture is born of centuries
of eslootsn. You can hardly realize that
Satan hi mseif could have worse feelings than
that ma o. The test whether picture is truly
dramatic or not is in the question, DO you feel
itP
"A gre at many pictures are not dramatic
only heattric-and many painters make the mis-
take Of painting pictures they think are dramatic.
but are merely theatrc. There are many or
Etors there MANY painters One man
will speak, three hours. His speech will be full
of historic research of admirably turned periods,
faultess n diction. You go away remembering
his Grafton as finished and beautiful effort.
and that / : all Another man will speak. In
five minutes he will thrill you as you have never
been before, and his words will fail upon your
heart and u understanding with wonderful force.
That is ne dramatic orator There is a paint
ing that IS allied, believe, The Little Man in
in a gray robe, coming down a
magnificent, stairway. On either side of
him court6rs are bowling very low. their plumed
hats, sweep ing the floor The little priest in
gray is the 1onfessor of the king, and he has
such power over the monarch that his word is
absolute for good or for evil. This little figure
is as simple as anything be, as. with book in
hand and r,,adir &. paying attention to the
throng of courtsrs. generals of the army and
statesmen DO wing about him, he comes down
the stairway. He is powerful because they know
he has behind him the power of Rome to carry
out any idea he may implant in the mind of the
monarch
Henri Re gnault, who followed in Geromes
line and succ seded, was killed during the Com
mune in Paris ), after he had painted two or three
important pic lures What he might have be
come no one csui tell.
There is line OF thought possible in dra
matte work the is Enthusiastically American.
We are prone e, think that nothing in dramatic
art can he hu morous, but there is frequently
something deeply pathetic in so-called humorous
pictures. or even caricatures. / remember enc
in Harper's We sky. There Is an old colored
woman peeing potatoes; half-dozen little fell
lows are on the floor; an old man, spectacles
on nose, is reading something, probab bly,
from the Testan Rent, when the door is suddenly
thrown wide opnn. and startled figure of a
young darkey an nounces that Somebody done
stole dat Shoat.' The pictura is entitled sNr